Ash-smeared sadhu. A sadhu with ash-smeared body is also applying ash to his face near the main cremation ghat at the mystical holiest city of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India).

Sadhus normally pick up ashes from the cremation ground, where a human body has been burned in a funeral wooden pyre. After that, they spread the ashes all over their faces and bodies to feel purified and protected.

Devotee taking a spiritual bath. A devotee shows a spiritual trance expression during his bath time in the sacred river Ganga (Varanasi aka Benares, Uttar Pradesh, India).

Everyday, thousand of local Hindu devotees and pilgrims gather on the ghats, the stone steps that lead down to the Ganges River, to take ritual baths to clean their sins. They believe that bathing in the Mother Ganga purifies them, absolves them of their sins, and liberates them from the cycle of life and death.

Ganga Aarti Ceremony. The Ganga Aarti is a a very powerful spiritual ritual which takes place on the Dashashwamedh Ghat, near the Ganges River, and is held daily at dusk (Varanasi, also know as Benares, Uttar Pradesh, India).

Facing the river, a group of young pandits take their positions at a given wooden platforms which are full of ceremonial things like oil lamps, a conch shells, incense sticks, a yak-tail fans, peacock feathers, sandalwood, milk, and flower petals.

The mystic Ganga Aarti starts with the blowing of a conch shell. Smoke rises from the waving of incense sticks and the scent of sandalwood permeates the air. Fire is offered to Lord Shiva and the Ganges River through the movement of flaming lamps. Fire is used as a link between the spirit world and this world. The rhythmic chants and songs of mantras in praise of Mother Ganga can be heard while the drums and cymbals are playing.

When ceremony is going to finish, the pandits offer flowers, milk, and floating lamps to the Ganges. Eventually, attendants and pilgrims leave small diyas with a lit candle and flowers that’s floated down the river.

Exhausted rickshaw puller. A rickshaw puller shows his exhausted gesture in the crowded, noisy and air polluted streets of Old Delhi (Delhi, India).

In rubber sandals and shorts, rickshaw pullers carry on passengers and packages through the city streets. Most of the times they earn less than 2 dollars a day and support their families with this small income.

Teenage girl frowning. A teenage girl frowns in front of the camera in a handicraft street shop at the city known as the “Yoga Capital of the World” in the foothills of the Himalayas (Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India).

Indian mother and son. An indian woman wearing a colorful sari holds her son and look to the camera (Jaipur, Rajasthan, India).

When Indian people are asked about the ideal sex of their sons, boys are generally preferred over girls. The preference for male children among Indian families is a big reality. Indian culture is still seeing boys as an investment and girls as a responsibility.

White beard. An elder indian man with a white beard and a deep look on his face seems that he is sending us a message with his eyes (Jaipur, Rajasthan, India).

In these days of confinement due to the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis, be more responsible than ever and stay at home. Remember the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society. Our elderly.